It’s a watershed year fraught with turmoil for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Across the American South, queer, trans and gender-nonconforming people are facing wave after wave of legislation that threatens our safety, well-being and very existence

Last season the University of Oregon won the Pac-12 title and earned a No.1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Ducks reached the Elite 8, defeating Duke in the regional semifinals and losing to Oklahoma and Buddy Hield in the regional finals

Petros Papadakis, former USC college football captain and current analyst for Fox Sports, tells Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer about the lure of the game for young people. The two also debate whether politics belong on the field and in the locker room.

Donald Trump accused Hillary Clinton of trying to “rig the debates” by scheduling them against football games. Not only do the facts reject this argument, but Trump ignores his own double- standard, as he pulled the plug on several debates with Republican opponents in 2016

WASHINGTON — Rep. Reid Ribble (R-Wis.) announced this week that he wouldn’t seek another term in Congress partly because he wants to spend more time with his family. Ribble vowed to serve no more than four terms after taking office in 2010, but a sad airport farewell contributed to his decision to quit after just three terms, Ribble told “So, That Happened,” the HuffPost Politics podcast. Ribble said he took his three grandsons home to Sherwood, Wisconsin, for a few days after Christmas. “We played out in the snow and did all the things that granddads and grandsons love to do,” he said.

For Neil and Luke Markey, entrepreneurialism is in their blood. But it took nearly a decade, a multi-year stint in the army, and an uninspiring corporate job to push them to where they are today: The two brothers are the founders of ShieldCo , a design company based out of Frederick, Md.

View More: U.S. News | Live News | More News Videos After a college football player surprised her young daughter with a special birthday gift last week, an Indiana mom has praised the 19-year-old for teaching her and her children a priceless life lesson.

The Ohio State University (O.S.U.) Men’s Swimming Team will soon have a Big Challenge Swim (Race4cure) meet vs. Ohio’s Kenyon College on October 30, representing two of the nation’s best college swim programs.

The “Utah compromise” was hailed by some as a groundbreaking balance of religious liberty and LGBT rights. But now, as Indiana Republican leaders examine whether such a policy could be introduced in the Hoosier state, business leaders are roundly rejecting the concept. It’s too late, they say, for that kind of compromise to work in Indiana

Larry Brown was awarded the hat trick this week by the NCAA. For the third time in his college coaching career Brown is the head basketball coach at a university whose basketball program was found to have violated NCAA regulations. The first came in the early eighties at UCLA where his program was found to be guilty of getting “improper inducements” from UCLA boosters.

Original post on Forbes.com August 18th, 2015 The National Labor Relations Board will decide on a case involving the unionization of college athletes that could send shock waves through the present collegiate athletic scene.

Fresh off a ruling that Northwestern University football players can’t form a union, the NCAA is about to face a more direct challenge to its longstanding policy of not letting schools pay athletes like they’re professionals. A federal judge who issued a landmark decision against the NCAA last year is considering whether to grant class-action status to lawsuits by current and former college athletes seeking to abolish the NCAA’s prohibition against competitively paying players.

Ultimately, the best part about sports has nothing to do with championships, awards, win-loss records, or outstanding statistical performances. Those things are all ego-based. The best part about sports is the strong relationships that are formed – often for life

On August 17, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), by a unanimous 5-0 vote (three Democrats, two Republicans), threw out a ruling that would have allowed Northwestern University football players to proceed with plans to join (or form) a labor union. Apparently, the NLRB’s chief concern was that allowing these jocks to organize could “throw off the competitive balance in college football.” While I’ve never been totally convinced that college athletes should belong to a labor union (the United Steel Workers had offered, free of charge, to “sponsor” these Northwestern players), I’ve always believed that big-time college athletes should receive a “stipend” in addition to their scholarship.

Charlotte Jones Anderson, Dallas Cowboys Chief Brand Officer, oversees all strategies and applications surrounding the team’s brand as it is presented to fans world-wide. Working in the executive office since 1989, Anderson’s experience has enabled her to become one of the most innovative and versatile executives among women in professional sports. Her vision and direction guides the Cowboys in stadium design, fan engagement, entertainment, licensed apparel, cause marketing, and community service.

After Duke pulled out a victory over Wisconsin in the NCAA championship on April 6, ending the Badgers’ March Madness run, Wisconsin fans were understandably disappointed. Photos circulated online of defeated Wisconsin fan dressed in a Teletubby costume, seemingly on the verge of tears.

Known for his success in many facets of life, no one has ever accused Mitt Romney of being a college basketball expert. But humbling as it may be, Romney’s NCAA tournament bracket this year is almost certainly better than yours.

In recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness month, students at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte put together an anti-assault video for an NCAA-backed competition in honor of the “It’s On Us” campaign. “In our family, we take care of each other,” the video said. “It’s on us to take reports of sexual assault seriously, to honor the dignity and humanity of every person.” More..

Wisconsin beat Kentucky, 71-64, in the Final Four on Saturday to advance to the NCAA championship game, ending the Wildcats perfect season. The Badgers and Wildcats were neck and neck throughout much of the game. However, Wisconsin went on a strong run at the beginning of the second half, leading by as much as 8 points

Duke beat Michigan State 81-61 in the Final Four on Saturday to advance to the NCAA championship game. It’s the 11th time the Blue Devils have made it to the final round of March Madness. Justise Winslow led Duke with 19 points and nine rebounds , and Jahlil Okafor chipped in 18 points and six rebounds

NBA hall-of-famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar applauded the NCAA’s choice to speak out about Indiana’s religious freedom bill during the premiere episode of “The HuffPost Show” on Friday. Although Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed a revised version of the contentious bill on Thursday, Abdul-Jabbar, who played a bit of college basketball himself, told co-hosts Roy Sekoff and Marc Lamont Hill that he was glad to see the NCAA voice its concerns about the bill, which critics said could have opened the door for discrimination against the LGBT community .

President Barack Obama was seen sporting a new smartwatch on Saturday while attending his niece’s NCAA game between Princeton and Green Bay . Obama wore a “Fitbit-style smartwatch” that the Daily Mail identified earlier this week as the Fitbit Surge, according to a White House pool report. The device tells time, measures heart rate, can function as a calorie counter and has GPS capability, according to Daily Mail

Any time Bill Murray shows up, things are bound to get a little weird. But when he arrives wearing a dress, on a horse and with a “Murray-achi” band in tow, you know you’re in for a whole new level of strange. The comedian appeared — dress and all — on Thursday night’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” which was taped in Austin during SXSW , and he spoke about everything from his NCAA bracket to his bar-tending strategies.

Pizza and basketball go together like Shaquille O’Neal and a sea lion . That is, so long as you’re not actually playing basketball, but are instead watching it from the comfort of your very own living room.

John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats are heading into March Madness with a perfect 34-0 record. But just how well have other undefeated teams fared in a tournament? Here’s a list of past programs who have sought perfection on the road to an NCAA championship: 1951 — Columbia (coach: Lou Rossini), 21-0, lost first round More..

Jay Williams was poised to become one of the biggest superstars in the NBA. After leading Duke to a NCAA championship in 2001 and earning a national player of the year title, he graduated early to receive a No. 2 draft pick with the Chicago Bulls

These are not the most productive weeks around American offices. Throughout the country, NCAA Tournament brackets are being circulated, picks are being sweated over and the flurry of early round results will be carefully monitored. Typically, it’s all for the sake of a $10 or $20 wager

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Not everybody is happy after the NCAA agreed to restore football wins it had stripped from Penn State and Joe Paterno in the Jerry Sandusky child-molestation scandal, and the NCAA did not necessarily win any fans with the move. The agreement, swiftly approved Friday by the boards of the NCAA and the university after intermittent talks heated up this week, lifts the last of the sanctions imposed in 2012 and wipes away the black marks that had tainted one of the nation’s most celebrated college athletics programs

Penn State and the NCAA have come to an agreement that will restore the 112 wins taken away from the school’s football program in 2012 over its mishandling of the Jerry Sandusky child-molestation scandal.

DALLAS (AP) — Oregon wide receiver Darren Carrington is suspended for the national championship game after testing positive for marijuana during an NCAA drug test, a person with direct knowledge of test results said Friday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of student privacy rules. Team spokesman Andy McNamara confirmed that Carrington is not with the team but would not indicate why

On New Year’s Day 2015, quarterback Jameis Winston will lead the Florida State Seminole football team onto the playing field at the Rose Bowl for the first semifinal game of the NCAA’s college football playoff. Most fans of the college game know that Winston, the winner of the 2013 Heisman trophy, had been accused of engaging in unconsented sex with a fellow student, the latest in a series of misdeeds that have characterized his two years on the Tallahassee campus. The University appointed former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Major B

As we celebrate the fifth anniversary of Obama’s Race to the Top competition, many of us are contemplating whether or not it was a success. After much reflection, I decided to write an opinion piece, assessing it on its merits.

ESPN anchor Stuart Scott is bound and determined to beat cancer . The 48-year-old “SportsCenter” anchor’s tireless battle against the deadly disease and the positive attitude he has maintained throughout that fight were honored with the 2014 Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the ESPYs on Wednesday night

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Eduard Shevardnadze, a groundbreaking Soviet foreign minister and later the president of an independent Georgia, died Monday at the age of 86, his spokeswoman said. Marina Davitashvili said Shevardnadze died after a long illness.